The Life and Times of Liberal DemocracyIn this brief but powerful book, acclaimed political philosopher C.B. Macpherson sets out in bold relief the essence of liberal democracy, both as it is currently conceived and as it might be reimagined. Macpherson argues that from its beginnings liberal democracy has accepted the underpinning principle of capitalist societies, that the "market maketh man." If that remains the central assumption of liberal democracy, Macpherson declares, then as an organizing framework for society, liberal democracy has reached the end of its useful life. But if a broader concept of liberal democracy is accepted-"if [Macpherson writes] liberal democracy is taken to mean a society striving to ensure that all its members are equally free to realize their capabilities"--The great days of liberal democracy may yet lie ahead. |
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A. D. Lindsay accepted actual apathy argued assumptions Bentham Bentham and James C. B. MACPHERSON CALIFORNIA/SANTA CRUZ capital capitalist market society citizens claim class inequalities class-divided society classless competitive consciousness consumer sovereignty cracy cratic CRUZ The University demands demo democratic franchise democratic political democratic system Democratic Theory developmental democracy direct democracy economic effective elected electorate élites equilibrium excluding existing happiness human Ibid incentive individual J. S. Mill James Mill John Stuart Mill justificatory labour least liberal democracy liberal-democratic maximizing ment Mill's model Model 2B model of democracy model of liberal moral needed neo-idealist nineteenth century oligopolistic oligopoly one-class society operate participatory democracy party system pleasure plural voting political participation political process political system possible present problem produce question reason social suffrage sumers theorists tion twentieth century universal franchise University Library UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA/SANTA voters wealth Western